This invention relates to a process and technology that make it possible to remove from wine (or any equivalent alcoholic beverage) part or even all of the ethyl alcohol that it contains.
This technology uses microporous solids, in particular of the hydrophobic zeolite type or any substance whose porous structure promotes adsorption, in whose structure the ethyl alcohol molecules and also, for example, any molecules whose molecular weight is equal to or less than that of ethyl alcohol are selectively adsorbed.
This patent application will define in detail the nature of microporous solids for a process that makes it possible to reduce, for example, the alcohol content of an alcoholic beverage by at least 20%, whereby said process involves running the alcoholic beverage over at least one bed of at least one solid substance or in bringing said alcoholic beverage into contact with a layer of at least one solid substance, whereby said solid substances are ones whose pore diameter and hydrophobicity characteristics make possible the specific adsorption of ethanol and other alcohols with a low molecular weight. In process, the solid substances are zeolites, solids with a monolith-type microporous structure, foams, or cloths made of these substances whose basic porous structure is favorable to adsorption.
A zeolite or solid with a microporous structure generally has openings that are equal to or greater than about 5 angstroms (1 angstrom=10xe2x88x9210 m) and at least 90% of the pores are between 5 and 10 angstroms in diameter.
In the process, said solid substance is selected from the ZSM-5 and ZSM-5 from which aluminum is removed such as silicalite, Y zeolites with a faujasite structure, in particular, polysilsesquioxanes, arylsilsesquioxane gels, amorphous microporous silicas in the form of monoliths, molecular sieves with a carbon chain, quartzes, and activated carbon fibers.
The purpose of the processes described above is to remove at least part of the alcohol from the alcoholic beverages while at the same time retaining in the beverage the molecules that are responsible for the color, aroma, taste, and flavor of the beverage and in particular the tryptophan molecules and/or also the molecule that is called xe2x80x9ccliousclatinexe2x80x9d whose molecular weight is approximately 233 g, whereby said molecules act as a psychotropic and give individuals the pleasures of drinking wine.
We have discovered, during our investigations, that wine contains a molecule that has a psychotropic nature. Apparently, the presence of this molecule, which we have dubbed xe2x80x9ccliousclatine,xe2x80x9d has never been identified in the literature as being present in wine and brings to this beverage the pleasure of drinking; the process according to the invention consists in selectively removing part or all of the alcohol contained in the wine so as to avoid the impairing effects of alcohol absorption at the digestive or mental level, while retaining cliousclatine and optionally the molecule from which it comes, namely tryptophan, which also acts as a psychotropic and gives individuals the pleasure of drinking wine.
Wine has a high caloric content due to the alcohol that it contains; it is said that drinking wine makes you put on weight.
Furthermore, it is very well established that the absorption of alcoholic beverages inhibits reflexes and in now strongly banned, when driving a vehicle or operating heavy machinery.
The technology of this invention uses microporous solids particularly of the hydrophobic zeolite type in whose structure ethyl alcohol molecules and optionally molecules whose molecular weight is equal to or less than that of ethyl alcohol are selectively adsorbed.
It is obvious that separating some or even all of the alcohol that is contained in the wine makes it a beverage that is to be consumed immediately and that has great health benefits, whereby it is understood that alcohol has adverse effects.